A mother of three from Florida's Treasure Coast is recovering in the hospital after police say she was struck by a stray bullet that came from someone using her neighbor's property for target practice.
NBC affiliate WPTV-TV reports the incident took place Sunday in the Martin County city of Indiantown, when Heather Sitton was struck in the backyard of her own home.
Her husband, Jason, told the station numerous people - including the couple's three young children - were in the backyard when they heard gunfire from what Martin County Sheriff's deputies said was a high-powered rifle.
“I’m like, what is going on? And I started yelling at the neighbor right next to us like 'hey are you guys doing fireworks?'" Sitton said. "And they’re like, 'no, we thought it was you.' “As soon as I said that my wife just dropped."
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Heather Sitton was shot in the shoulder with the bullet passing through her collar bone and exiting the other shoulder.
“I’m yelling at the top of my lungs, 'stop you just shot my wife! Like, stop! Help! Help!' And they just kept shooting,'” Jason Sitton said.
Heather Sitton was airlifted to an area hospital, where she was awaiting surgery Monday night.
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Deputies said four people were shooting at the property about 900 yards away, adding that the homeowner had not given permission to shoot but added it is legal in the state of Florida.
“I am grateful that it did not hit any of the children," Heather Sitton said in a statement to the station. "I thank God that my life was spared.”
